DA Revelations Episode 5: Finding Me
by AngelExposed
Summary: Jessie seems to be getting more attached to Remy and Kitty panics when she starts getting contractions.
1. Chapter 1 Footprints in the Snow

**DISMAL ANGEL REVELATIONS**

**EPISODE 5 – Finding Me**

**Chapter 1 – Footprints in the Snow**

The first cigarette in over two weeks was something of a shock to the system, he felt. First he coughed, choking on the hot smoke that filled his lungs. His eyes watered and his chest burned as he coughed. He looked at the cigarette and shook his head, wondering why after two and a half weeks of abstaining from smoking, he'd gone and bought a pack.

He flicked the ash and watched it land upon the pristine white snow that lay crystal like and shimmering on the Xavier estate.

Remy LeBeau glanced up to see the snow lightly falling, large and fluffy almost featherlike. He wondered if Ororo had anything to do with the wintery Christmas weather, or it had come on naturally as snow always should. The sky was white to where he couldn't even make out clouds, just hundreds of fluffy flakes floating down to kiss his cheeks and nose like an old friend.

He'd never been all that fond of the cold, having grown up in the south. He took a long drag and tried to refrain from coughing this time. _Damn system rebooted itself and messed with my tolerance for smoking too, apparently, _he thought dully. The effects went to his head, leaving him slightly dizzy and sick.

A crunching sound disturbed him, he spun around but could see no one, all he could see were the trees behind him, the small woodland area that stood at the south of the lake. He supposed it could have just been snow falling from the trees, or even an animal looking for food. He leaned against a cold and icy tree trunk, took another drag and exhaled the smoke so it disappeared into the snowy air.

_Crunch, crunch._

He listened closely, something was definitely moving around. It sounded human, definitely not animal and definitely not tree. He tossed the cigarette down into the snow and heard the soft hiss as the lit end went out.

"Who's there?" he asked, accent thick in concern.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch._

Quick light movements through the trees and frosty bushes. Remy reached for the telescopic bo staff he kept in his inside pocket, he took three steps forward, carefully. "Show yourself!" he commanded.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch. _

He extended the bo, and keeping it nice and tight in his hand, ready in case he were to be ambushed. He proceeded forward into the trees, there were footprints in the snow, leading around the trees, he'd guess around an adult woman size, not much bigger.

The wind picked up and howled, he heard it whistle through the trees like a warning song. He heard the sounds, closer, closer. A familiar crunching. Just behind a tree.

Remy frowned. _Someone tryin' to sneak up on me, but I'm sneakier than they are. _He retracted the staff and put it between his teeth, he grabbed onto the low hanging branch of a tree above, the cold snow stinging his bare fingers. He pulled himself up and caught his foot on the trunk, he hauled himself up into the branches, and passed along the thicker branches from tree to tree, he was light footed, with the wind rustling the branches in the trees, making them click together, he couldn't be heard, he _wouldn't_ be heard.

He heard running beneath him, frantic. He took the bow from his teeth and extended it and dropped down, "why are you following me---what the hell...?"

Jessie Crowell, startled by his ambush, fell on her backside in the snow, large blue-grey eyes wide in panic. She was wearing rubber boots that belonged to someone else, and were far, far too big for her tiny feet, the legs coming all the way up to her thighs so that she probably had trouble bending her knees wearing the things. She had a scarf on and a white bodywarmer that almost matched the snow, her tawny hair was partly tucked into a white woollen hat that had pop-poms dangling from it like furry snowballs.

"Jessie..."

Her eyes landed on the staff he was wielding, she didn't say anything.

He realised how intimidating he must have seemed, he quickly retracted the staff and slipped it into his inside pocket where it belonged, "what are you doing here?" he asked, he softened his voice.

"I'm sorry..." she whimpered, near to tears.

Remy sighed, he supposed his paranoia had definitely got the better of him, and now Jessie looked like she were about to start bawling any minute, "I'm sorry too. Shouldn't sneak up on someone though," he said softly, he crouched down before her and reached out his hands to her to help her up, giving her a chance to refuse. "Lets get you out of this cold, huh?"

She nodded, sniffing back tears and she put her mittened hands in his. He pulled her up with ease, she was so light and tiny he could have carried her with one hand.

"Where did you get those boots?" he asked as they began to walk along the path by the lake, she took big awkward galloping steps in the oversized adult boots which were black and grey.

"They were in the hall – I think they might be Jean's..." Jessie looked down at them thoughtfully, "they're too big."

"No kidding..." Remy said. He had the feeling if he picked the girl up, both boots would instantly fall off her feet – probably never even leave the snow. The back of her pale blue jeans were soaked with snow, he felt bad now for having made her fall in the snow. "Jessie...why were you outside and...following me?" he asked, curious.

Jessie pursed her lips, she apparently didn't want to say why.

"Jessie...answer me..." he ordered, then softened his voice, "uhm...please?"

She stopped, "I heard Mr. Drake say bad things."

He stopped too, "what do you mean? What bad things?"

Jessie hesitated, her eyes looking everywhere, except him. Remy got the distinct impression she was furious about something but whatever it was, she seemed reluctant to explain.

Remy knelt down in the snow, not caring if his jeans got soaked, he took her by the shoulders, "Jessie...what did he say?" he became increasingly concerned. Just what did Bobby say to her? Or say to someone else that she might have overheard? That he'd killed a boy? That he was a thief?

"I don't like Mr. Drake, much," Jessie said, as if trying to change the subject, "he says a lot of mean things a lot..."

"About me?" Remy asked.

Jessie nodded, she met his eyes for merely a moment, then looked away. Her tawny hair stirred in the wind, her curls dancing in the air.

"What did he say?"

"That you're a trouble maker," she pouted.

Remy felt almost relieved, he could _live_ with trouble maker. As long as it wasn't murderer, he supposed he could live with almost anything.

"But...that don't make sense why you're following me."

"I was _supervising_ you," Jessie tried to explain.

Absurd as it sounded, he stifled a laugh into his fist, although he suppressed the smile, he knew the small girl saw it in his eyes, "you were...supervising me?"

"I have to be supervised all the time so I don't do bad things or get into trouble..." she tried to reason, "so..."

"So you figured...if I'm a trouble maker, you need to supervise me and make sure I don't get into any, huh?" he asked, he noticed the front of her bodywarmer wasn't even zipped up and he did it for her, securing it. He adjusted her scarf so it was a little snugger around her neck and around her ears.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Kind of," Remy shrugged, "you shouldn't be out here in this cold...and you definitely don't need to be supervising me...I'm an adult you know..." he reminded, he stood up.

He didn't reach for her hand to hold it as they walked, but she did, and that seemed strange to him, he couldn't quite understand why she felt it quite ordinary to hold his hand as they walked by the lake towards the mansion.

"How old are you anyway?"

"Too old to be supervised," he said, smirking at her. He admired her nose, which was bright red, and adorable with it's tiny pinch. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips pale.

"That's avoiding the question," Jessie said quite smartly, she looked at him curiously, big eyes right on him.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"I don't know," she answered, "You know how old I am..." she pointed out.

"I'm twenty-eight," he answered, "does that answer your question?"

"Yes," Jessie answered, "when is your birthday?"

"November the first," he answered. "Day after Halloween," he added, just so she'd have a better reference.

Jessie looked thoughtful, absorbing this information, "why do you talk so funny?"

"I talk funny?" he asked, he didn't think so although he supposed to a seven year old from Chicago with barely little experience of the world, he probably sounded very alien to her.

"Yes, you have an accent...like Rogue, but not."

"I'm from Louisiana..." Remy answered, they approached the mansion's gardens, and walked along the cobbled path. "You know where that is?"

"Yeah, that's where Britney Spears is from," the girl said enthusiastically. "And _she_ doesn't speak like you do!"

Remy made a face and laughed.

"Can you really speak French?" Jessie asked as they climbed up the steps of the back porch and Remy opened the door for her so she could enter.

"Oui," he answered, he slipped his leather coat off, which was heavy and the surface soaked with snow. He shook the flakes out of his wet hair. "Why so many questions?" he asked.

"I don't know," Jessie shrugged, she stepped out of the too-large boots. "You're just...interesting."

"You use big words for such a small person," Remy commented.

"You have very long hair for a man," Jessie said, quite pointedly.

He laughed again, "yes...I do...but...it used to be longer than yours..."

Her eyes widened, "really?" she asked as she took off her gloves and her hat.

Remy didn't answer her this time, he was admiring the very large Christmas tree – which stood at least twenty feet with hundreds of glittering twinkling lights adorning it's green feathery branches. Beneath the tree were piles of presents, and quite a few were for Jessie from the X-Men. His mind wandered, and momentarily he forgot where he was or what he had been doing.

"Oh my gosh, Jessie!"

They both turned to see Kitty waddling across the hall, heavily pregnant, one hand on her back, "I've been searching all over the place for you, you were _meant_ to be napping. Where have you been?!"

Remy looked at the girl, who was suddenly looking very guilty and very worried that she was about to be punished. "She couldn't sleep," he said, before Jessie could speak, "so I took her out for a lil' walk on the grounds. I made sure she was well suited up for the cold..." he pointed to her bodywarmer and scarf."

"Oh..." Kitty said, she looked somewhat distressed. "Jessie, go upstairs and change your clothes for dry ones," she instructed, gesturing to the girls damp clothes.

Jessie nodded and hurried up the stairs without saying anything, her bare feet making light soft thudding on the stairway carpet.

"Don't do that to me, seriously...just...don't go running off without saying anything..." Kitty sighed deeply, "I've been worried sick..."

"Stop stressin', petit. She's _fine..."_

_"_She's not _fine._ Her clothes are soaked at the back, what the hell were you doin', lettin' her make snow angel's?"

"What if I was?" he shrugged. "Isn't that what she should be doing? Playing in the snow?"

"If she gets a cold..."

"She won't get a cold," Remy frowned.

Kitty folded her arms, "it's not that I don't trust you, you _know_ I do. It's just...kids are different from us adults, Remy. You should remember that, you _were_ a kid once yourself. They don't have the immune systems we have – having her out in the cold like this for any length of time and she could end up with pneumonia..."

"Yes, I know, okay?" he asked, slightly irritated now. He didn't like being confronted about these issues, especially when he was taking the blame for something that wasn't his fault.

"Well...in future, if I send her for a nap and she can't sleep and you feel like taking her somewhere, at _least_ just tell me. And don't take her out in cold weather and snow and rain...for gods sake, Remy. You're a couple of years from thirty, you should be able to behave responsibly for once in your life."

"You wanna talk responsibility?!" he demanded. He was about to bring up the subject of her pregnancy to a boy who she intended to neither date nor marry or involve in the child's life. He thought better of it and quickly changed the subject, "y'know what...if it makes you feel any better, I just won't spend any more time with her, okay? Then you never gotta worry again," he remarked coldly towards her. Without another word, he took off upstairs. He heard her calling on him but ignored it, he wasn't in the mood for arguments.


	2. Chapter 2 I Can't

**Chapter 2 – I Can't **

"I don't get it, chere. She asks me to do something, I do it, then when I do it, she gets mad?" Remy LeBeau was pacing across his bedroom later that night. Rogue had come to see him after dinner, which he'd decided to skip, she was sitting on the bed folded legged, watching him go back and forth, nearly wearing down the carpet.

"You shouldn't let it get to you," Rogue said softly.

"I just..." he threw his arms up frustratedly, "I'm tryin' to keep everyone happy here, and I still can't get anything goddamn _right!_"he groaned. "Do this, she says, so I _do_ it, then she's mad because I didn't do it the way she wanted it..."

"Come over here..." Rogue patted the bed.

He came over and sighed, he lay on his side opposite her, he picked at a loose thread on the soft blanket beneath him. "I never asked to be involved in this kid's life, chere..." he sighed. "But it was suddenly thrust upon me...like it was a duty...like I owed it to the kid."

"Remy, I've seen you with Jessie...and...I gotta admit, you seem to have a bond with her..." Rogue said after a moment.

"Bond?" he looked at her, he laughed absurdly, "she's clinging to me because she sees in me what she sees in herself..." Remy uttered, he frowned, "a damaged mutant."

"That's not true..." Rogue shook her head.

"No, it is," he confirmed, "she looks at me and sees someone else who accidentally blew stuff up and got called names in elementary school. She sees the others and sees perfection, she looks at me and sees a dark horse who screws up and relates to it. She sees someone else who seems to be alone and relates to it – that's not a bond, that's just vague things we have in common."

"Stop being so pessimistic," Rogue sighed. "And don't take Kitty's words to heart too much..."

Remy rolled onto his back and put his hands behind his head.

"She's due to drop any day now...she's stressing out like you wouldn't believe..." Rogue grimaced, "her doctors said she might not be able to give birth the natural way, they're talking about caesarian sections and she is _freaking_ out."

"Couldn't she just...I dunno, phase the kid out?"

"I don't think her powers quite work like that – if she phases, the kid will phase with her too," Rogue rolled her eyes. "So anyway...about the argument thing, just give her a break. She doesn't mean it, she's just...trying to avoid thinking about it by picking arguments...and you're_ not_ the only one she's been narking at these last few days..." Rogue explained, "Logan got screamed at for telling a particularly sexist joke...Hank got yelled at when he did the grocery shopping and came back with non-diet soda. I got screamed at because I borrowed one of her hair scrunchies – which she doesn't even wear anymore..."

Remy raised an eyebrow.

"So yeah, she's irritable, and she's picking arguments. It's _not_ personal, and you know that. You know Kitty adores you."

"Yeah, I know," Remy sighed, "but...she called me irresponsible."

Rogue gave a soft laugh, "she is the world's authority on responsibility around here. Hell, the only thing she ever did that wasn't responsible was get pregnant, but she's being responsible about that too..."

"Do...you think I should go talk to her?" Remy asked.

"Yeah, I think you should," Rogue nodded. "I know we were gonna try and work on my powers tonight, but...I think that talking to Kitty is more important."

Remy looked at her, it wasn't the first time in the last few days that she'd avoided working on her powers with him, although he supposed this time, he was the one giving her the excuse to not follow through. "We'll try...later, maybe."

"Okay."

When he knocked on Kitty Pryde's bedroom door there was no reply; feeling he'd given enough knocking to prompt her of his presence, he opened the door slowly, and peered in. "Kitty?" he asked gently.

Kitty was sitting a yellow-painted rocking chair by the window, her room was now nothing like he'd remembered. Now it was full of kids stuff, a large painted yellow crib. Large stuffed toys, piles of baby blankets, and boxes of diapers and various other things, all scattered across the room until it looked more like a nursery than an adult bedroom.

"I'm not in the mood to argue, Remy," Kitty said, she was rocking back and forth gently, a soft soothing jazz song played on a CD player that sat on the window sill. She sounded upset, very upset actually; he couldn't see her face to confirm the fact though.

"I'm sorry I got mad," he stepped in and closed the door behind himself, "I've been...under a lot of stress."

"And you don't think I haven't?" she asked, it sounded like she might be crying, but trying to desperately hide the fact.

He looked around the room, "I know you have. I just...I don't know, maybe we had no right to get mad at each other."

Kitty shifted in her chair restlessly, "I wasn't getting mad at you, I was trying to get you to understand that--"

"I know what you were trying to get me to understand," Remy said quickly, "But lets face it, I told you from the get-go I was _not_ the person this child should be hanging out with. I am irresponsible, I'll admit it. So she'd be better off without me anyway, plain and simple."

Kitty sniffled, "no...you can't _do _that to her," she turned finally, spinning the chair around with her awkwardly, her cheeks tear stained, "you can't just _step_ into her life and then abandon her like that, Remy. You just _can't._"

"But I didn't _step_ into her life," Remy pointed out, "she stepped into _mine._"

Kitty wiped her tears, Remy couldn't be sure what exactly it was she was crying about; her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were ashen. She rocked back and forth, using her tiptoes to push, she held a tattered tissue in her hand, she began to pick at it absently.

"I never _asked_ to be in this kids life, petit," Remy pointed out sadly.

Kitty sniffled, "I know that..."

"This ain't easy for me...I'm no good with kids..."

"You need to get good, Remy, 'cause..." another tear trickled down her cheek, she took a long deep hard breath and exhaled in steps. She couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

"Kitty...?" he asked gently, "what's...wrong...?" his concern began to grow, she gasped in what seemed to be pain and put her hands on her stomach.

She wouldn't answer him, she looked away from him, lips trembling, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Remy suddenly knew why she was crying, and what was causing her so much pain, "how long have you been getting contractions?" he asked carefully, he got up and rushed over.

She gave a shrug, hands wringing at that torn up tissue again.

"Kitty?"

"I don't know...twenty minutes?"

"We need to get you to the hospital..." he said, he put his hands under her elbows and tried to help her up.

"I can't..." Kitty pushed him away from her, "I can't...I can't do this..."

"What the hell do you mean you can't do this?" Remy demanded.

"I thought I could...but I can't," her voice was weak "I can't do this...I can't..."

"It's a little late to be saying you can't, petit," Remy frowned, "Baby is comin' whether you can or not."

"I thought I had it all worked out...but I don't...god I don't even have everything I need...I don't have enough time..."

"You've had nine months," Remy pointed out.

"Wasn't enough time...to prepare..." she whispered.

"Petit, c'mon, it's gonna be_ fine._ You're just having last minute jitters."

She burst into tears and began to sob hysterically. "I can't do this...I can't!" she said in between sobs.

Remy took the small pregnant woman in his arms, "sssh, it's okay," he said, stroking her hair, "calm down and take a breath. It all gonna be over soon," He promised.

She sobbed into his shoulder, her tears staining his grey school logo t-shirt, she gripped the shoulders of his t-shirt.

"It's just nerves, petit, that's all. You _are_ ready for this. You're gonna be so good...so good at this..." he promised, he moved her back and stroked her hair back from her tear-soaked face. "And when you hold the baby...you gonna know deep in your heart that you did the right thing..."

"I'm scared..."

Remy hit the communicator button on Kitty's watch for her, he held it down for fifteen second to indicate an emergency. The second he let go, he heard Hank's voice coming through tiny speaker on the watch.

"Kitty?"

"Kitty is in labour," Remy replied back into the watch, "need to get her to a hospital."

"I'm on my way up," came Hank's voice, quick and almost excitable.

"Remy..." Kitty said, she still gripped his t-shirt, "You need to do something..."

"Hmmm?"

"You need to watch over Jessie..."

"But..."

"No, you _need_ to. If something happens to me..." she swallowed back emotion, "you need to promise me you'll _always_ take care of her..."

"Why me?"

"Because she's—OWWWWWWW!" she suddenly screamed. "Owwwwwwww."

"Don't speak, just breathe..." he tried to calm her.

The door flew open and Jean Grey and Hank McCoy rushed in, "it's okay, Kitty, we'll have you at Bayville hospital real soon..."

Remy watched them taking her away, he felt helpless, knowing he couldn't go with them, especially when she'd specifically asked him to look after Jessie. Rogue rushed into the bedroom only a moment after Kitty had been taken away.

"What the hell is goin' on? I heard screamin'!" she looked worried.

"Kitty's going into labour...they takin' her to the hospital."

"Aren't you going too?" Rogue asked.

"I can't, Chere...I gotta sit back and take care of the kid..."


	3. Chapter 3 Close to the Bone

**Chapter 3 – Close to the Bone**

When Jessie Crowell awoke, she _thought_ she'd heard screaming. It had almost seemed imaginary. She'd been having a very pleasant dream about dancing balls of light that made lightshows in a velvety blackness. She sat up and reached to the small nightstand to turn on the lamp. The room of shadows was thrown into a warm familiarity she'd grown very fond of in the past six months. Outside, she heard a car speeding down the drive, and she stood on her bed on her tiptoes to peer out to see the X-Men's black van disappearing out the gates.

The High School Musical clock beside her lamp said it wasn't even ten pm yet. She felt wide awake now though, and doubted she would sleep now.

She stepped into her fluffy slippers and pulled on her fleecy robe to beat the mansion hallway chill, and she left the bedroom. She made her way to Miss. Pryde's room, hoping that her instructor and supervisor would give her cocoa and a cookie to help soothe her back to bed. She was just about to turn the corner when she saw Rogue running into Kitty's room. She waited, hearing Rogue asking what was going on.

Jessie inched down the hall quietly to eavesdrop.

"Kitty's going into labour...they takin' her to the hospital."

"Aren't you going too?" Rogue asked.

"I can't, Chere...I gotta sit back and take care of the kid..."

They were sitting on the bed together, Rogue was looking at Mr. LeBeau in the way that Jessie had seen Mr. Drake look at Rogue, and the way Jean Grey and Scott Summers look at each other.

"I guess that's a bad thing?" Rogue asked softly, her voice was more tender for him than for any other person in the world, Jessie noticed. "Because...you don't look too happy."

Remy LeBeau wrung his hands absently between his knees, "she said to me...if anything should happen to her...I need to be there for the kid..."

"Someone needs to," Rogue agreed.

"But me? I'm not responsible, as Kitty pointed out, and...I'm not the right person to be there for a child."

"Why not?"

"Just...because."

"That's not an answer," she stated.

"Chere, there's just...so much that Kitty don't get when it comes to me and...kids..."

"Such as?"

"I don't wanna talk about it right now, chere," said Mr. LeBeau sounding quite upset. There was a heaviness in his voice that Jessie was unfamiliar with. It wasn't like the lighthearted tone or soft tone he used when he spoke to her, this tone was different, it made Jessie think of blackness, and sadness.

Rogue sighed, "Remy, if we're going to be together, we need to be honest with each other, and if you've got something on your mind, I'd really like to hear it. We're _supposed_ to be here for each other, aren't we?"

A pause. "Yes."

"Then stop building up walls to keep me out and let me in..."

"Gabrielle..." Mr. LeBeau sighed.

Jessie hid behind the doorframe, and listened.

"Why do you keep torturing yourself like this, sugar?" Rogue asked, Jessie picked up a high note of distress in her voice. Jessie had never heard of Gabrielle before, and didn't know who she might be, but by the sounds of it, she must have been a very important person for both the adults to sound so very upset.

"You don't understand, cherie, I saw her..." Mr. LeBeau said, Jessie looked around the corner to see him get up and pace.

"You...saw...her..." Rogue repeated, sounding very confused.

"When I died...I went to heaven and I saw her."

"That...sounds crazy," Rogue admitted.

"I know it does," Mr. LeBeau gave a nervous laugh, "I was in a warm light place and I saw Betsy, and I saw my daughter..."

Rogue was silent, listening. Jessie was astounded. Mr. LeBeau had a daughter. Or he had a daughter once. Jessie didn't know too much about religion and death, but she understood that heaven was where people went after they died, and if Gabrielle, Mr. LeBeau's daughter was in heaven, then she must have died.

_How old could she have been?_ Jessie wondered, still shocked with this new piece of information. Mr. LeBeau wasn't that old, really. Although she knew Miss. Pryde to be slightly younger than Remy, and pregnant, she hadn't pictured the man old enough to have a child.

"She was...this beautiful glittering ball of light...this...pure...soul..." he explained, "and oh my god, the love I felt from her...radiating like...like heat from a flame..."

"Maybe this was a dream," Rogue suggested.

"No! It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a dream any more than being a ghost in this mansion was," he said, sounding hostile. "And now, I'm havin' these...crazy nightmares..."

"Nightmares?"

"Faceless children singing...and I see my daughter's soul. I don't know what this dream is trying to tell me..."

"Did you talk to Kitty about all this?" Rogue asked softly.

"No...how can I? She's stressed out about the baby, and she wantin' me to take care of Jessie and..." Mr. LeBeau gave a very sad sigh, "and being around Jessie...reminds me of the time I'll never spend with my daughter."

Silence, Jessie listened. She felt tears welling in her eyes, sadness like no other stirring every emotion with her until tears trickled down her rosy cheeks.

"It hurts...chere...it hurts so damn much. I feel...empty...whenever I'm with the kid. And I wish I didn't, because she is...a wonderful kid. I just...I can't be around her anymore."

"Remy...the more time you spend with her, the more that pain will dull."

"Maybe it's not meant to," Mr. LeBeau suggested.

Jessie peered around the corner to see Rogue get up from where she'd been sitting. She put her arms around Mr. LeBeau lovingly from behind, and let her cheek rest upon his shoulder.

"Of course it's meant to. Do you think your daughter would _want_ you to feel so sad over her?"

"Of course I don't..." he replied, "But...would she want me forgetting about her either while I...while I...take care of the child she can never be?"

"You're not going to forget about her..." Rogue kissed his shoulder, Jessie probably thought she'd left a lipstick mark on the back of Mr. LeBeau's t-shirt, but she found this incredibly sweet somehow. She'd never really understood how Rogue could have a relationship like perhaps Miss. Grey and Mr. Summers, but now that Jessie seen Rogue and Mr. LeBeau together, she saw it was completely possible.

Mr. LeBeau seemed to hesitate about something, he turned to look at Rogue, "whether I do or not...it's still too...too close to the bone. Especially at this time of year. I look at that Christmas tree in the foyer, and see Jessie's presents under it and think that Gabrielle's should be there too. I think about what I would have got her for Christmas...every year...every day on her birthday I think it too..." he sounded incredibly sad, and it took some time for Jessie to realise that he was close to tears.

She'd never seen a man cry. She was torn between embarrassment and immense sadness. She felt compelled to run to him, to wrap her arms around him and hold him tightly and apologise for ever causing him so much pain.

"Seein' the snow here, wondering what the snowmen she'd have made would have looked like..." Mr. LeBeau sat on the new rocking chair that had been a gift to Kitty from the Professor. "And then I look at Jessie...and...I think only of my Gabrielle...my baby."

When the sobs came from the bedroom, Jessie had to push her hands hard to her mouth to suppress the sob that wanted to escape her own tiny lips. Tears poured down her own face to hear it, and she peered into the bedroom one last time to see Rogue comforting Mr. LeBeau, sitting on the arm of the rocking chair, arms around him, her cheek against his soft brown hair. They rocked together and she whispered softly to him words that would soothe him in time.

Jessie pulled herself up from where she'd been sitting on the floor and rushed back into her bedroom. She cried like she'd never cried before, she cried more tears for Mr. LeBeau than she ever had for herself, and the ache in her tiny heart was stronger than anything she'd ever felt before, stronger than the sad loneliness she felt most of the time, stronger than the love she felt for the people of this mansion – even the ones she barely spoke to.

It was then, her heart told her what she had to do.


	4. Chapter 4 Just a Few Sips

**Chapter 4 – Just a Few Sips**

When his tears had dried, he stepped out for a cigarette. His body really didn't crave the nicotine like it had before thanks to his system rebooting itself, but he felt at least, it would give him a reason to excuse himself from Rogue, embarrassed for all his tears. Hands still slightly trembling, he struck a match and lit his cigarette.

He sat down on the porch steps, he could feel the icy cold even through the leather of his long coat. He shivered and took a long drag from the cigarette, trying to focus on the foul taste, the weight of the smoke in his lungs, and that somewhat undesirable dizzy feeling that came with it.

_I really need to quit,_ he thought dully, he exhaled the smoke, watching it disappear; his breath misted in the air. _Should be easy now, right?_ He had a bottle of vodka he'd found in his room from a long time ago. He took the bottle from his pocket and twisted the cap off, he took a long drink, the liquid bitter, the taste, although he knew it well, seemed unfamiliar, seemed to hit his gag reflex and nearly made him want to spit it back up. He swallowed, grimacing, and he knew that would go to his head too soon, just like the cigarettes had.

The snow drifted quietly down over the grounds, the grey stone statues all sporting white frosty hats now, the topiaries all glittering as if they'd been dipped in sugar. The ground was completely white, the paths too, footsteps leading up and down, reminders of the many feet that had tread across the snow. Blue twinkling LED Christmas lights hung from the bare willow trees, making them seem like fountains of sapphires that poured and disappared into the pristine snow beneath.

Remy had been trying to ignore the oncoming Christmas season for the last few weeks but it was impossible to do so now. The mansion was full of colour, red and green wreaths on doors, ribbons and lights on walls. Hanging baubles dangled from ceilings and twigs of mistletoe beckoned from archways and ceilings at every turn. It was his first Christmas in the mansion in a very long time and although the mansion had become his home, it felt uncomfortable to be there, and Christmas left him feeling like an outsider.

He supposed he should have been considering buying Christmas presents, but had barely ventured off the grounds other than to take Jessie for her birthday ice cream and to buy the pack of cigarettes he was smoking at that moment. Now, tomorrow was Christmas eve, and he realised he would have to do what he needed at the last minute despite he didn't feel much like celebrating it at all.

Even Rogue seemed to have sensed he didn't want to celebrate, he hadn't caught her broaching the subject not even once in his presence.

Several large swigs of vodka began to kick in, mixing with the painkillers he'd taken to dull the throbbing in his chest, and his head buzzed somewhat pleasantly. He felt slightly lighter, and began to forget his tears and his woes, even if only momentarily.

He heard footsteps at his back as someone came out onto the porch, he smelled Rogue's perfume, an almost fruity scent with top notes reminding him of blackberries, violet and jasmine. He breathed in the scent, let it fill his senses instead of the smell of tobacco and bitter alcohol.

"You're drinking?" came Rogue's surprised voice.

"Just for tonight," he answered quietly, he flicked his third cigarette out on the white snow, watching the tip go dark as it went out. "It's only a few sips, chere."

Rogue came and sat beside him, wincing at the cold under her backside, "Hank called, turns out Kitty wasn't in labour...something called Braxton-Hicks contractions – kind of like a false labour. But the hospital wanna keep her in for observation, so they've made her comfortable. We can visit her tomorrow."

Remy nodded, he took a swig from the bottle before Rogue grabbed it from him, she found the cap lying on a step and twisted it on securely and put the bottle next to her out of his reach.

"You've had enough," she warned, "you're not meant to be drinking ontop of painkillers, anyway," she reminded.

"I know this. But I didn't think about it...at the time," Remy turned and looked at her, "I'm sorry for being such a mess earlier..." he sighed.

"It's fine. I'm in the X-Men, I'm used to seeing people in a mess. Hell, I'm usually one of them," Rogue shrugged, "but..." she began and she sighed deeply, "I hate to say, I don't think you're really over that yet."

He gave a shrug too, he took a pack of cards from the pocket of his coat and picked one out, he charged it with a very faint energy and tossed it towards the snow further off so that as it made contact, it sent showers of snow everywhere, like white fireworks.

"I hate seeing you like this," Rogue said quietly.

He turned and looked at her, "don't be worrying. My problems are mine, not yours, and I don't want it screwin' up anything between us like my stupid problems always have before..."

She brushed a snowflake out of his hair while she studied his expression. In the twinkling blue LED lights wrapped around the pillars on the porch, Remy was lit up blue, and the lights cast dancing shadows on the contours of his face. He looked at her, eyes deep and lips soft, warm breath turning cold as it misted into the air. He smelled like vodka, cigarettes and musky cologne and somehow, it wasn't all that unpleasant. If she could have kissed him, it would have been right then.

Remy read her expression, he leaned close to her, face close to her, nose nearly touching hers, he tilted his face and leaned in, lips almost reaching hers before she decided to pull away. A spark danced between them, the light flickered and disappeared, Rogue felt it, like an electric shock that stung her lip, he didn't seem to feel it.

"Sorry..." he shook his head, "I don't know what I was thinking."

She touched her lip, it felt almost scorched by the nip of the spark, "that's not the first time that's happened."

"I know," he said quietly. "Guess between me and you...there's still a few lil' sparks there, huh?"

"I don't know about you and your lil' sparks, Remy LeBeau..." Rogue said softly, she bit her lip although it still hurt, "but...I have flames burnin' for you in my heart."

"The sun is nothin' compared to the burning in mine..." he whispered softly to her.

She watched him for a few moments, as he shuffled his cards expertly with one hand. Slowly, she reached for the fingertips of her left glove, and she slipped it off her hand. The icy chill nipped at her fingers which were always warm inside fabric or leather. Tenderly, she reached to first brush his hair from his face, and then to attempt to stroke his cheek with the backs of her fingers. Her flesh was barely a tenth of an inch from his face when the sparks caught her, and she yanked her hand back from him, gasping in the slight pain.

"Owww!"

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, his eyes sleepy and his expression hazy and drunk.

"It's you...you're the one doin' it."

"You sure it ain't just static?" he yawned, the effects of mixing the vodka with sleeping pills left him immensely sleepy.

"I'm sure..."

"Jessie has vanished!"

Remy and Rogue turned to look at Ororo who had just arrived on the porch looking quite distressed. "What do you mean she _vanished?" _Remy asked, his voice must have slurred, because suddenly Ororo was giving him a very suspicious look.

"She is not in her room – or anywhere in the mansion. Her clothes and backpack are gone..." Ororo frowned.

"Can't she be traced?" Rogue asked.

"Using cerebro," Ororo replied, "the professor is in California for a few days trying to enroll a few students, and Jean is at the hospital with Kitty, and I wouldn't even _dare_ put Monet on cerebro."

"We'll go look," Remy suggested.

"You're drunk," Ororo folded her arms. "You're not in any condition to go look for a _child._"

"I've had a few slugs out of a bottle of vodka. I'm not inebriated," he pointed out. "Besides," he sighed, "this is all my fault..."

"What do you mean?" Ororo asked.

"Kitty _asked_ me to keep an eye on her. Guess I'm not doin' a very good job – but hell...I thought she'd be in bed, I didn't think I'd need to do anything _tonight_."

Ororo dropped her arms, her eyes blazing, "when are you going to learn responsibility? If you are _asked_ to do something, the first thing you should _not_ so is drink – especially when it involves children. Even if they _are_ in bed."

"Alright, already, enough with the goddamn lectures," Remy stood, he held onto the nearest pillar on the porch to stop from swaying awkwardly, his balance compromised. "I feel bad enough already without you addin' to it."

Ororo spun around, "I shall check the north and eastern sides of the mansion and the initial road into Bayville," she raised her hands, gusts of strong winds swept her up into the air gracefully.

"I'll check the south and west of the grounds I guess," Rogue stood up. "Remy, you should stay here in case she comes back."

"Check the west by flight, I'll check the south. That area is covered with trees, you can't fly above it and expect to see what's below," Remy pointed out, "but me...I got real good eyesight for the dark."

"Remy, you're drunk," Rogue reminded.

"I feel like I'm soberin' up fast, chere," Remy sighed, and it was partly the truth. Instinctively he knew after his pills plus the vodka, he shouldn't have been going out trying to do anything, especially walking around in the cold weather. _What else can I do? I don't care what storm says that I'm too drunk to go look – this is my fault, I need to help find the kid. If something happens to her..._

"Remy..." Rogue said, her voice edgy.

"You _trust_ me, don't you?"

Rogue sighed, "okay...just...stay in touch via communicator..." she tapped the watch on his wrist, "frequently."

"Fine," he replied dryly, and with that, he took of running to the southern side of the estate.


	5. Chapter 5 Hit a Brick Wall

**Chapter 5 – Hit a Brick Wall**

The winds were bitter and picking up through the trees, whistling, the cold stung his cheeks and reminded him of why he hated the cold in Bayville so much. He hoped to God that Jessie had made it inside of somewhere safe; this cold was not the kind of cold a seven year old should be wandering around in.

His feet made a soft crunching in the snow; he looked down constantly to check for footprints other than his own but saw none, and with the snow getting heavier, he felt that if there had been, they might have already been covered up. He passed the first clearing in the woods, where he and Rogue had once spent a Halloween night together many years ago, and memories flooded his mind as he wandered across, shivering, teeth chattering.

"Jessie?!" he called loudly.

A beep on his communicator watch alerted him, he hit the button, "Rogue?"

_"Any sign of her, sugar?"_ came Rogue's voice, slightly distorted by the wind and by the tiny speaker on the watch.

"Nothin'," Remy answered, "not even any footprints in the snow...it's getting colder and the snow is getting heavier..."

_"Ororo has been holdin' back some pretty bad snow storms from the estate, but if she left the estate to go look on the main road, the weather might be coming back."_

"I'll keep you posted if I find her."

_"Okay."_

A beep signalled the end of the communication. Remy pushed his coat sleeve down and trembled with cold, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his long coat and lowered his head to try and avoid the wind stinging his eyes.

_Ororo was right,_ thought Remy sadly as he pushed his way through the wind, the snow was thick around the trees, and he tripped on branches and rocks he could not see beneath it. _I'm not responsible, and I'm not tryin' hard enough to be responsible. Kitty should have never left me in charge of that girl._

He wondered why Jessie would take off in the way she had, backpack and clothes, disappear all of a sudden. Had she heard Kitty going into labour and leaving? Had she decided to abandon the mansion before the mansion abandoned her?

To think this brought a sting to his heart. He knew the fear of abandonment, he understood it _all_ too well. That little girl was barely old enough to understand how to handle fear, and to have a fear as big as this, she must have been very alone, and very sad. It was strange, he thought, how his heart could ache so much for someone so tiny that he barely even knew.

Not only did his heart ache for her, but he felt shame, deep limitless shame. _This is my fault, I should have been checking on her, or made sure she was at least in her bed. God, how many _hours_ has she even been gone? She might be so far we might never find her now..._

Remy's eyes caught something in the trees, a light flickering, it seemed to hover, and sparkle behind the many twisted tangled branches of trees knitted closer together in the woodlands. It remained there for a moment then disappeared – he wondered momentarily if he had imagined it. He kept walking further and further, feet cold, toes frozen, fingers in his pockets even stinging despite their protection.

Up ahead, the light flickered again, it darted from side to side, and he recognised the light at once, he felt like his heart stopped at the shock to see it there, to see it in the real world, not just in heaven. That ball of shimmering light, the pure angelic soul of his daughter.

"Gabrielle..." he whispered.

He stepped forward, the light moved backwards, cautiously, he took two steps forward, the light darted back again, as if determined he would never catch up with it.

"Wait..." he called softly to it, and he took off running, watching the shimmery ball of light keep it's distance from him as if he were never meant to catch it. He felt a sense of rejection as he tried to catch up, pushing himself to run faster and harder than he ever had, until his legs ached, and his lungs felt tight with the effort. Further through the trees until he hit a wall, almost literally.

A high brick wall some fifteen feet up, stood right there at the edge of the woods. Remy figured this was the border of the Xavier estate, the wall somewhat made sense. The ball of light had vanished through the wall, leaving him in the darkness alone.

Or what he thought was alone.

He heard a whimpering from somewhere up above him, and he looked up, it was far too dark in this part of the woods to really see what was up above him. He heard the whimpering again and a nervous breath escape tiny lips.

"Jessie..." he slipped a playing card out of his pocket, and charged it so that the area was lit up in a soft almost candlelight like glow. And there she was. Jessie Crowell laying across the top of the wall on her stomach gripping hard with her tiny hands and short legs, one Barbie sneaker had fallen off and was sitting on the snow at the foot of the wall. Her Dora the Explorer backpack was hanging off one arm so that it dangled over the wall.

"I can't get down," she sobbed pathetically.

"What the h--" he caught himself, "what are you doing?"

She didn't answer, she shut her eyes tightly and gripped the wall, "there's nothing on the other side..." she finally replied she sounded extremely frightened.

Remy absorbed his charge back and placed the card back in his pocket, in the darkness, he tried to make his eyes adjust as best he could. "Give me a moment," he said.

She complied – although there was hardly anything she could do.

He focused all his will on trying to see through the blackness, things starting to come into light more, his vision increasingly getting better the harder he stared through the pitch. He heard Jessie gasp, she was looking at him, trembling.

"What's wrong?"

"Your eyes..." she stammered nervously, "they're glowing..."

"It's okay...just so I can see better is all," he promised. He reached for the nearest tree branch, "how did you get up there?" he asked, he pulled himself up onto the nearest sturdy branch, grimacing at the pain this caused his laser wounds.

"On the bricks that aren't there..." Jessie answered.

He couldn't see which bricks she meant, but he fully understood it was probably the only way she could have gotten up there since the tree branches were far too high for her tiny stature to reach. However, he realised getting up was easier for her than getting down.

"I'm coming to get you, just hang on."

She had her cheek pressed against the cold wall, her tears of panic seemed to shine as they trickled down across her nose.

He awkwardly swung himself across to another branch, thanking the lord he'd been so obsessed with climbing trees as a child that it became second nature. As he carefully pulled himself onto the wall, which was slippery with ice, he saw exactly what Jessie meant about there being _nothing on the other side._

It was a sheer drop to what must have been at least forty or fifty feet down into a snow covered valley, he thought he saw a trickle of water down there, but his eyesight might have been deceiving him in the dark.

"Okay, I'm up," he said, "I'm coming over..." he decided to give her ample warning in case his approach should frighten her.

He shimmied across the wall carefully, only a few feet from her now, her feet near his knees.

"Hurry, this is slippery..." she pleaded, fingers gripping hard on the wall that her knuckles stuck out and turned white. "Hurryyyy..."

"I'm coming up behind you...don't panic," he said softly, he tried to use his most soothing almost hypnotic voice, the kind of voice he used to charm people when he spoke – not that he'd really had to charm any one in such a long time. "It's okay, mignon, you'll be fine," he promised, he slid closer until he was near enough to her to get a hold of her.

She whimpered, "I'm gonna fall!"

"No, you're not going to fall," he said calmly, he leaned over her and put his arm around her to slide his arm under her, "I'm here now. Remy's here..." he whispered.

Jessie was trembling, half from cold, half from fright, he felt her tiny body shake in his hold as he pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Grab onto me, it's okay," he instructed.

Her small hands gripped onto his forearm, he heard her breathing fast and hard.

"I'm going to lean to the side and grab the nearest branch then I'm going to swing us down," he explained.

"But what if I fall?" she asked.

"You won't fall."

"But what if I do!?!" she demanded in a high pitched wail.

"I won't let you fall," Remy said softly, he leaned down so he could whisper into her ear, "trust me, I will not let you fall. I won't let anything happen to you. Why do you think I came to get you?" he asked.

She drew a shaky breath, "okay..." she agreed finally to his plan.

He leaned sideways, away from the sheer drop, using his legs to grip onto the wall to hold his bottom half in place. With his free hand, he gripped the nearest branch awkwardly, it was icy, and slippery, but it was all he had. "Okay, hold on..."

She gripped his right arm tighter, proving an impressive strength for one so little. He pulled hard on the branch and swung his leg over, pushing her leg over with his. They swung sideways, the branch began to bend, giving way so they were five feet off the ground. He let himself drop, praying that he could fall backwards rather than forwards onto the child. Somehow, he managed to land on his feet, and they both fell sideways into a thick snowdrift, it cushioning their landing.

He felt the girl relax once they were on the ground, she was still shaking with cold, but not quite as bad as before.

Remy sat up slowly, letting Jessie go so he could remove his leather coat and put it around her, it enveloped her. After he'd covered her up against the cold, he pressed the button on his communicator watch. "I've found her."


	6. Chapter 6 I Am

**Chapter 6 – I Am**

_"Oh my god, where?!" _came Rogue's frantic tone.

"Perimeter wall at the back of the woods," Remy said, teeth chattering more now that all he had was a thin sweater t-shirt to keep him warm, "think you can come pick us up?"

"_I'll be right there!"_

Remy hit the switch to close the communication, then he looked at Jessie who's big blue-grey eyes were staring back at him unsure.

"How come you're always finding me?"

"Never mind about _that._ Where did you think you were gonna run to?" he asked.

"I thought there was a road at the back of the woods..." Jessie's voice quivered.

"Where were you gonna go?"

"Back to Chicago," she answered softly. "Back to the orphanage."

"But...why?" Remy asked, he adjusted the collar on the coat he'd put around her, he was kneeling on the ground and his jeans were soaked with snow, and very uncomfortable.

"Because no one wants me here..." her eyes filled with tears.

"No one ever said that," he frowned.

"You did..."

He was taken aback, he certainly couldn't remember having ever said to anyone that he didn't want Jessie there. He tried to think but in his muddled confusion and the effects of the alcohol he'd consumed, his memory wasn't quite working as well as it should have at that moment. "What are you talking about? I _never_ said I didn't want you here. _Ever."_

_"_You said I reminded you too much of Gabrielle..." Jessie said after a moment's hesitation. Her lips shaking.

It was strange how those words could knock the wind out of him harder than any punch ever could. He suddenly found it very hard to breathe or to function. All he could do momentarily was try to remember when he'd said this and realised it had been nearly six hours ago. _She heard me. Oh shit...she heard me...she heard me pour my heart out to Rogue and...now...she...she thinks...that I want her to go away..._

"I..." he tried to speak but the words just caught in his throat and tears burned his eyes as the cold wind swept across them both. He blinked the tears, he swallowed and tried to speak.

Jessie looked away from him, she pursed her lips together now, tears trickled down her cheeks.

"What I said..." he tried, he sucked in a breath and tried to control the emotion that welled up in him.

"It's okay, I get it..." Jessie said sounding quite astute, at that moment Remy was convinced she sounded more grown up and responsible than he did. "It's not your fault...and it's not fair you should be reminded of her when I'm around, and if I'm not...you don't have to be."

Her grown up decisions were so...unselfish, it stunned him. A girl who'd hardly had anything in her life, no friends, no family, no true home, had found everything she needed and was willing to give it all up...for him.

Remy looked away from her, the tears still welling in his eyes, he couldn't say anything, because he knew if he did it would come out in a mess of sobs that he knew no kid should never have to witness.

"If you help me get away, I won't come back," she offered sincerely.

"No," he finally managed, he sniffed and tried to gain back some of the control on his emotions, "no...you can't leave. You are part of this place, part of us, part of our _family," _he held her shoulders and shook her, "your home is here..."

"But what about you?" she asked.

"Y'know what," he began, "it's not the kids job to worry about the adults, it's meant to be the other way around..." he tried to smile but it was half-hearted and he wondered if it showed on his face at all or if it was missed. Would she have even seen it in the dark?

"But...I can't help it," Jessie said.

"Why not?" he asked. "Why not just be a kid and enjoy it and leave the worryin' up to us big people?"

"Because you have to worry about the people you care about," Jessie answered very maturely, her voice tiny in the wind.

Once again, he was taken aback. "You care about me?" he asked.

Jessie merely nodded.

He let out a shaky breath, he'd never quite heard that from a seven year old before. From older women, yes, because he was of course the infamous Remy LeBeau who had a way with the ladies. But this was a kid who was saying she cared for him, and he couldn't see a single reason why she should – he couldn't figure out any redeeming personality feature he had that could actually appeal to a child of seven years old.

"Why?" he finally managed to ask, "why care about me? You have so many people you could care about who won't cause you trouble..." he pointed out, "the professor...Hank...Scott..."

"You're sad," Jessie answered, "and I know what it's like to be sad..."

He tilted his head to look at her.

"And when I see you sad...I feel sadder. And I don't want you to be sad."

Remy sighed, he looked down at the snow, he wished she didn't have to see his tears, he couldn't seem to stop them from sliding down his cold face. He felt the wind sting where they left wet tracks across his face. Funny how the emotions she didn't want to instill in him were exactly the emotions that seemed to bloom. Sadness grew within him and spread like a vicious cancer, almost until he felt like it might kill him.

"Please don't cry, Mr. LeBeau..." Jessie said softly, teary-eyed herself, she slipped her bare hands out from beneath his coat, and she reached out to wipe his face, which seemed so large in comparison to the tiny fingers which swept across both cheeks and thumbed away the dampness.

Without another thought about it swept her up in his arms and held her close to him, he sobbed into her shoulder, unable to contain anything anymore. He sobbed the words, "I'm so sorry," to her and he felt her arms wrap around his neck, her cold fingers bury in his long brown hair. "I'm so...so sorry."

He heard her quietly crying and soon it seemed to die down to a soft breath when he realised she had drifted off to sleep right there in his arms, in the cold.

"Remy..."

He looked up to see Rogue making her careful landing across the snow.

"Is she alright?!" Rogue asked, seeing the girl wrapped in his arms but not moving.

"She's fine, she's just fallen asleep," Remy wiped his face quickly, although Rogue had seen him cry before he didn't wish it now.

"You okay?" Rogue asked, hearing the off-tone in his voice, knowing it all too well.

"I'm fine..." Remy stood up carefully, holding the girl in his arms, "we need to get her into the warm..."

"We need to get you into the warm too," she pointed out his bare arms, the gooseflesh on his skin seemed to stand out hard against the cold.

He gave a nod.

"Let me take her," Rogue offered her arms out.

"No..." Remy shook his head, "she's sleeping sound – she's exhausted, who knows how long she been out here. Let her sleep, I hold onto her tight enough if you hold onto me..."

Rogue looked at him, "you sure? After what you said..."

"I know what I said..." he said, "but...I need to stop being selfish and be responsible...she was left in my charge. She's my responsibility now."

_*_*_*_*_*_*_

"She's fine, Remy. She's an extremely lucky child to have survived the harsh conditions out there..." Hank McCoy said to Remy LeBeau. They were standing in the hospital wing, and Jessie was bundled up in warm pyjamas and sleeping peacefully beneath many blankets. "But I'm going to keep her in here for observation for the moment."

Remy sighed and looked down at the girl, heart torn. He felt like it was was wrong to leave her now, for if she woke up in the hospital wing, alone, it might be a little jarring, even with Hank close by.

"I would suggest, my friend, that you get some rest too," Hank said, clamping a large blue hand upon Remy's shoulder. "You look exhausted, and I know your pain medication plus that alcohol I smell on your breath must be weighing you down heavily."

"Mon ami, I cannot leave her," Remy sighed, "I'm responsible for this..." he gestured to the child on the bed.

Hank stood, looking around. He too looked very wary, he had been doing a lot of research in his laboratory late at night as well as always doctoring the students whenever they fell ill. "I...can make up the other bed for you," he offered, he gestured to the other infirmary bed, which had nothing but a white sheet upon the mattress.

"No...I'm fine," Remy said, he pulled up a chair from by the wall and placed it next to the bed, "You need sleep, Mon ami, you should get some, I'll stay and keep an eye on her..." he offered.

"I'll be checking in and out," Hank said, "if you need me..."

"I'll yell," Remy nodded.

Hank left the hospital wing, Remy was sure the beast would grab a few hours sleep hanging upside down in his laboratory as he usually did. Remy picked up Jessie's left hand, examining the perfect form of her short chubby fingers and her tiny perfect fingernails. He curled his hand around hers, which was now warm and soft in his own.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he whispered tenderly.

Her eyes fluttered open, lashes hooding her large blue-grey eyes. "Hi," she said sleepily, she gave a yawn and he could see her missing baby teeth.

"Well, hi," he said, trying to sound cheery, trying to pretend like their sobbing in each others arms had never happened.

"You look sleepy," Jessie said quietly.

"I'm fine," he promised, he squeezed her hand. "How do you feel?"

"Warm," she answered with a smirk.

He smiled, "good."

"Did Miss. Pryde have her baby yet?"

"Not yet," Remy answered, "they gonna keep her in the hospital for a few days," he added.

"But who's gonna be taking care of me?" Jessie asked, her large eyes full of concern.

"I am, Jessie. I am."

The End. (Or is it???)

(Thanks to the people who left the lengthy reviews, those are my favourite. It's always fun to know what people are thinking!)


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